Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 103 Raw Material Crisis, Harlin's Dilemma!

Times are progressing, and the environment is changing.

When the checkpoint was first established, the rules were strict, and each inspector had demanding KPI targets.

If you don't complete it, you'll be dragged out and scolded at the meeting, and your salary will be docked and your job title demoted.

But as Li Matai said, each generation is worse than the last.

After Ding Yishan became the station chief, the checkpoint had become a loosely organized, semi-free organization.

The senior prosecutors are active outside of Shi Province year-round. Except when they return after completing their missions, they usually only return to Happiness City before winter each year to rest and recuperate until spring and summer before setting off again.

Even when inspectors are not on duty, they are not idle. They either take on field missions to gather intelligence or travel between various settlements and sanctuary cities.

However, in the past six months or so, influenced by extraordinary opportunities, the conflicts between the upper echelons have gradually seeped into the lower echelons, leading to an increasingly intense trend of taking sides.

Coupled with the chain reaction triggered by the unusual celestial phenomena, the danger level in the wilderness soared, which led to the "spectacle" of nearly a hundred inspectors huddled together in the buffer zone.

Under this special atmosphere, Ding Yishan and Harlin seemed to have disappeared, never showing themselves on their own initiative, allowing the prosecutors below to form cliques.

This was the first time Cheng Ye had met the deputy station chief since the end of his internship assessment.

Harlem gives off a completely different vibe from Ding Yishan.

As the chief examiner for the probationary prosecutor assessment, Cheng Ye always felt that Harlin was somewhat like his high school homeroom teacher.

They always treat students with poor grades with indifference, their disdain almost written on their faces.

However, their attitude towards top students with excellent grades is completely different, making people feel like they are bathed in a spring breeze.

Unfortunately, Harlem's "spring breeze" only lasted for a few days.

After the cultural assessment ended, it was time for the physical assessment. I never saw a kind look from him again; all that remained was his cold, businesslike indifference.

But now, that spring breeze seems to have returned.

Harlin was already standing behind the isolation door of the inspection area, arms crossed, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Cheng Ye calmly opened the panel and glanced at it.

The results were as expected.

Harlem, 0%, Searchable range: None

This is the second person he has encountered who is completely uncooperative since activating the collector.

Chu Xuan is still young, and it's understandable that he's wary of strangers after being repeatedly warned by his parents.

But Harlem.

This 0% level of cooperation alone clearly reveals the current state of their relationship.

They can't be called enemies, but they're probably not far off.

Seeing that Cheng Ye remained silent, Harlin wasn't surprised and continued, "Bringing back a piece of extraordinary ore for the checkpoint is a great achievement. I've agreed to Station Chief Downs's proposal to help you unlock some of the official inspector's privileges ahead of schedule. I hope you can maintain this momentum. Good job!"

So, when Qin Feng made the phone call, Harlin and Towns were together?
"Thank you, Deputy Station Master!"

For the first time, Cheng Ye didn't act as "sensible" as usual, and deliberately added the word "deputy" to the title in front of the stationmaster.

Hearing his unspoken meaning, Harlin gave a bored smirk, waved his hand, and left with his two trusted confidants.

Only after the three figures disappeared from sight did Cheng Ye slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

Before he was hospitalized, he was able to have a good talk with Harlin, and there was nothing wrong with what he said.

But now it's different. Ding Yishan has brought him to the forefront, and he has met with all the Eastern prosecutors.

At this point, there was no further interaction with Harlem.

What if someone accidentally reveals what we're joking around about?

They wouldn't necessarily be labeled as traitors, but some idiots would inevitably gossip behind their backs.

After the little episode.

Cheng Ye quickly regained his composure and switched to efficient duty mode!
At the same time, he gradually discovered that Quarantine Zone A was the safest and most profitable of the four inspection zones.

Because most people who can obtain car rental permits have certain capabilities, the infection rate is not high to begin with.

Moreover, these people were extremely cooperative during the inspection, and almost never resisted, so the process went very smoothly.

Unlike Area C next to Li Matai, which is responsible for checking people from other sheltered cities and settlements, seemingly having a relaxed job, it actually has a lot of trouble.

Each time someone came, they brought a large quantity of goods. We couldn't profit from them, and we had to carefully inspect each item to prevent contamination by sources of infection.

At the same time, it is also the place where conflicts are most likely to break out, besides Area B.

Because there are always many "geniuses" from the surrounding areas who want to join Happiness City, but are unwilling to go through the central checkpoint for formal inspection and quarantine, and try to find loopholes to break through.

Moreover, these geniuses with peculiar thought processes often have an astonishingly high infection rate; basically, out of ten people who come, six are infected.

The prosecutors' profits mostly come from these geniuses.

As for Zone D, it is responsible for inspecting special personnel, such as sentries on patrol, inspectors on field duty, and the inner city guards.

Safety is indeed guaranteed, but don't expect any extra income. The inspection procedures are the most complicated of the four districts. After all, it's unreasonable to lock up your own people in the quarantine area for ten days or half a month.

In comparison, Cheng Ye suddenly realized that being assigned to Area A was actually quite good.

Although this is where the probability of encountering ferocious infected is highest, but...
Cheng Ye pulled out the Thunderbolt 1 gun hidden under the table and pulled the trigger all the way down without hesitation.

boom.

boom.

The continuous loud bangs made the air tremble. The three infected creatures that rushed out of the large golden cup that had just stopped were instantly blasted in half by the shotgun, and dark green, foul-smelling liquid splattered all over the isolation net.

Not only was Li Matai next door startled, but the crowd queuing outside the checkpoint was also startled and instinctively shrank back, letting out a series of exclamations.

"Are there really such reckless bastards who charge in without even saying a word?"

Cheng Ye walked closer, carrying the Thunderbolt 1 rifle, and steadily aimed the muzzle at the heads of the three infected individuals before pulling the trigger again.

The shotgun roared and tore through the air until the three bodies were riddled with holes and completely still. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, turn around, return to his desk, and press the communicator to report.

"Codename: Hulk, Infection Progress: Stage 2, has been inspected and killed by trainee prosecutor 'Cheng Ye'!"

A response came quickly from the communicator: "Received. The cleanup team will arrive immediately. Inspector Cheng, please continue to maintain order at the scene!"

Not all infected individuals are latent and require isolation and observation to detect.

Many infected organisms have specific triggering conditions, just like these "Hulks" whose skin has turned completely green and swelled up.

The source of infection is a special caterpillar. Once the host is parasitized, it will immediately trigger a second-stage outbreak state.

The three people subconsciously perceived him as a threat, which directly triggered the outbreak of infection.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the one who had just started his shift.

Wallace arrived quickly with his men, and his face fell when he saw the mess in the inspection area.

But that's the job of the cleanup team. Under Cheng Ye's murderous gaze, the cleanup team stepped forward and quickly hooked out three fist-sized caterpillars from the minced meat.

Two of them had already been killed by the shrapnel, leaving only one still wriggling.

“Prosecutor Cheng, the living one has 10 points, but the dead one only has 2 points.”

"It's alright, take it with you!"

Cheng Ye waved his hand dismissively. He was no longer the poor guy he used to be, who needed to tighten his belt to make ends meet.

Normally he might have used Whirlwind Strike to practice, but now that thousands of eyes were on him, he didn't want to fight the infected in the checkpoint for a few contribution points—it would be too embarrassing!

Wallace nodded and led his men to take the Hulk away.

Then, staff pushed in a high-pressure water gun. The water jet washed over the ground, instantly cleaning up the bloodstains and debris, leaving only a faint smell of blood in the air.

It was obvious that the people waiting in line for inspection all looked somewhat uneasy.

Fortunately, Cheng Ye did not become "bloodthirsty" as they had imagined, and continued to conduct the inspection in an official and procedural manner.

Those who meet the criteria and whose whereabouts are completely confirmed will be allowed to leave directly.

Those who meet the criteria but whose whereabouts are unclear or even conflicting must be placed in quarantine facilities during special periods.

As for those who fail to meet the standards, there is no room for negotiation; they will all be treated as latent carriers and isolated in batches.

Time quickly came to four o'clock in the afternoon. With the shift handover approaching, Cheng Ye called Raven, who was in charge of recording, to compile the data.

"How many people passed through in total, and how many have been quarantined?"

"377 people passed through, and 121 people were quarantined."

"Hmm, that's close to a 25% isolation rate?"

Cheng Ye nodded slightly.

While we cannot rely on outdated methods, the data from the nightmare fluke outbreak 13 years ago still has reference value.

On the first day, the isolation rate in Quarantine Zone A reached 56%, and now it is only half of that, which is a good result.

Of course, the situation in the adjacent quarantine zone B was quite different.

The crowd that had been queuing outside had long since dispersed, leaving only a few hundred people anxiously waiting at the entrance, watching the commotion inside, hoping for a glimmer of hope.

Throughout the entire day, the number of people who actually entered Zone B for inspection was probably less than one hundred.

Moreover, given Li Matai's "methods," they were basically all sent to quarantine without a word, and very few people were able to pass through smoothly.

"You really have a lot of free time."

Cheng Ye leaned against the railing at the boundary between the two districts and raised his chin.

“Of course.” Li Matai sat in his chair with his legs crossed. “Even if some residents wanted to return to Happiness City, they wouldn’t choose a day like today, when the checkpoints have just opened. Anyone with a brain knows that today has the highest probability of finding infected individuals, and the inspection standards are the strictest. Who would want to walk into the line of fire?”

"Believe it or not, at least half of the people I sent in today are infected; it's just that the outbreak hasn't started yet."

"letter."

Cheng Ye smiled, took out a packet of nutritional syrup from his pocket, tore open the packaging and took a sip. "Old Li, I won't be coming next week, and I probably won't be on duty at the North Station anymore."

"what?"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Li Matai sprang up from his chair with a "whoosh," forcing a sickeningly sweet smile onto his face that had been expressionless all day.
"What did you just call me?"

“Old Li.” Cheng Ye was amused by this reaction and repeated it again.

"Hey, I love that nickname! Call me that from now on!" Li Matai smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into slits, and waved his hand. "If you don't want to come, then don't. What's so great about this lousy place? You're a brave guy, you're got the makings of something big. Let me tell you, I've been a prosecutor for over ten years now, and I've never dared to set foot in the South Checkpoint!"

The words fell.

A warm feeling welled up in Cheng Ye's heart.

Aside from Liu Bi, Li Matai was the only prosecutor who cared about him.

Not only because they share the same ideals, but their personalities also get along very well.

"The checkpoint is wasting your talent."

"Then hurry up and seize power, and then dig me out again. By the way, don't listen to my nonsense the other day, saying how powerful we prosecutors are when we go out. Actually, I only went out a few times when I was young. At that time, the pioneering corps was building everywhere, and the influence of Happiness City was expanding rapidly. Our prosecutors' power was also thanks to the corps."

"But in recent years, with the disbandment of the corps and the rise of surrounding settlements and shelter cities, Happiness City's situation is not so glamorous anymore. You might be harassed by inspectors from other shelter cities when you go out to carry out field missions, or even worse, some people might not even look down on Happiness City."

Li Matai grinned, his tone somewhat joking, but his eyes remained calm, as if he had long been accustomed to this marginalized state.

To his surprise, Cheng Ye nodded solemnly, as if he really intended to rediscover him one day.

"Ok?"

Li Matai was stunned for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in his cloudy eyes.

“Live well, there will be such a day. I feel like what you just said was like you were telling me what to do before I die.”

"Get out of here! Go hand over your shift and stop cursing me!"

Li Matai laughed and cursed, then slapped the railing. Judging from his expression, if it weren't for the fence separating the two areas, he probably would have rushed over and chased after them.

But as Cheng Ye finished absorbing the nutrient solution and turned around, a barely perceptible hint of regret flashed in his eyes.

Will there be such a day?

But, can I still wait that long?

Watching Cheng Ye leave the inspection area, Li Matai gently shook his head, the regret in his eyes gradually fading away and disappearing without a trace.

Like the surface of water rippled by the wind, it swayed slightly before returning to calm.

thump.

"Please come in."

Station Master Downs' voice came from inside the room, carrying a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.

Cheng Ye took a deep breath and pushed open the door to enter.

Behind the large walnut desk, the old man remained seated in his leather swivel chair, a pen in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed, his gaze fixed on the open documents, as if pondering some thorny issue.

After entering, Cheng Ye gently closed the door, stood in the same old spot as before, and waited quietly with his hands at his sides.

Of course, I didn't forget to open the panel and take a look.

Surprisingly, Towns' cooperation rate was 27%, far higher than Harlem's.

You should know that Ding Yishan is currently pushing him to the top.

As a Western station chief, he should at least show some attitude, but the fact that Towns still has this statistic already speaks volumes.

After more than ten seconds, Towns, without looking up, suddenly spoke, his tone as if he were talking to himself:

"Cheng Ye, I'm facing a problem right now and I'd like to talk to someone and get their opinions."

"Listen, if you want to answer, then speak; if you don't want to answer, that's fine too. I won't force you."

Just as Towns was about to elaborate, Cheng Ye suddenly interrupted:

"Is there any benefit?"

"benefit?"

Towns finally looked up, a hint of surprise flashing across his face, but he quickly forced a smile. "I have two more evaluation forms. If you want them, it depends on your performance. I can also give you a message, the kind you want to know."

"it is good!"

Cheng Ye nodded decisively.

Now that Towns has spoken, whether he responds or not, as long as we go along with his rhythm, we will inevitably find ourselves in a passive position.

It would be better to be upfront and turn the tables, seizing the initiative first.

Furthermore, the current situation is not the same as it was half a month ago when we needed to keep a low profile. Now that we're in the spotlight, we have to show our abilities when the time comes.

Especially between Harlem and Towns, they are not a united front, and there are no outsiders present at the moment.

"The Shuangyuehu settlement, located 620 kilometers from us, is one of the few places in Shijiazhuang Province where crops can be grown. It is also a source of raw materials for supplying nutrient syrup to our Happiness City. But now they suddenly want to terminate the cooperation. According to the intelligence we have gathered, Dazhang Shelter City has offered a higher price and has also provided them with a number of important industrial facilities."

Downs put down his pen, tapped his fingertip lightly on the table, and said in a deep voice, "Now, what do you think we should do to protect this source of raw materials?"

Dazhang Shelter City?
Cheng Ye quickly searched his memory; it was a small sheltered city with a population of only forty or fifty thousand.

It is located southwest of Happiness City, approximately 1,000 kilometers away as the crow flies.

As for the Shuangyuehu settlement, he had never heard of it.

How far is Dazhang from Shuangyue Lake?

"It used to take 570 kilometers, but now they've built a bridge that makes it only 450 kilometers."

450 vs 620, the distance is slightly better.

In addition, there are higher prices and a number of important industrial facilities.

By all accounts, Dazhang Shelter City holds an absolute advantage, while Happiness City has no competitive edge whatsoever.

How does Dazhang compare to our industrial level?

"We're at about the same level as we were fifteen years ago, only able to produce small gadgets."

After Towns finished answering, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared on his face.

This was the difficult problem Harlin had presented to him today. He called over six second-phase prosecutors midway through, but all of them shook their heads as soon as they heard it, and gave their advice hastily without even asking for details.

They could either use force to threaten the Great Camphor Shelter City into voluntarily giving up Twin Moon Lake, or make the Twin Moon Lake settlement afraid to cooperate with the Great Camphor Shelter City.

They either raise prices to compete, believing that Dazhang's industrial strength is inferior to Xingfu City's, and that Xingfu City can provide what Dazhang can provide, so it's a contest of financial resources.

It's very simple and straightforward. Happiness City has always done it this way, simply overwhelming them with its advantages. But if it were so easy to solve now, Harlin wouldn't have deliberately thrown this difficult problem at him.

In fact, the sources of raw materials for nutrient syrup that Xingfu City purchases have been increasingly lost in recent years.

Although it is far from reaching the warning line, the downward trend is widening and there has been no sign of recovery for a long time.

Many of the gathering places that were originally scrambling to supply goods are now, like Shuangyuehu, voluntarily terminating their cooperation.

On the surface, it appears that the surrounding sheltered cities have risen and are poaching the raw material sources from Happiness City.

But the deeper reason is that the industrial progress of Happy City is slowing down, and it has gradually been overtaken by the surrounding sanctuary cities.

There may still be a huge gap in heavy industry, but in light industry, which is related to people's livelihood, the gap is no longer so large.

Happiness City can no longer radiate its influence throughout Shi Province as it did in the past, let alone harvest resources from surrounding provinces.

Once the bidding system is opened, there will be a second Shuangyue Lake, just like the first one.

The price of nutrient solution will skyrocket, either borne by residents or squeezing the city's budget.

However, without bidding, without using force, and having not been on field missions for many years, Towns couldn't think of a proper way to resolve this kind of situation.

Are there any other gathering places around Shuangyue Lake?

"Have."

Upon hearing this, Downs' expectations immediately diminished; he could already guess what Cheng Ye was going to say.

"If you only give me an evaluation sheet, then my answer can only be to support this gathering place and let them kill Shuangyuehu and take its place."

"Ok?"

Towns raised an eyebrow. He had guessed the answer correctly, but this straightforward bargaining had taken him by surprise.

Wait, is this kid getting revenge for the score I gave him last time?
He wanted to hold back from asking, but eventually followed up by asking, "What if I gave you two evaluation sheets?"

"Two of them. Then tell Shuangyue Lake that Xingfu City can also provide the industrial facilities they traded from Dazhang, but it will require more sincerity in exchange."

"Heh." Downs couldn't help but scoff, laughing speechlessly, "They're not stupid. They could easily get it from Da Zhang, so why would they go to the trouble of trading with us?"

"It's because they're not fools and want to develop that they abandoned the massive Happiness City and turned to a small Sanctuary City with only tens of thousands of people."

Cheng Ye chuckled. The real situation was far more complicated than that, requiring more intelligence support, but right now it was just empty talk.

"So all we need to do is tell them that our Happiness City will not compete with Dazhang in the short term. We will only support the development of one place in the long term. What Dazhang can give, we can give. What Dazhang cannot give, we can also give. But we need to see sincerity, more sincerity."

"Sincerity."

Towns frowned. "You mean, give them empty promises?"

"This is not empty talk, but our sincerity, and the confidence that even Dazhang can't match."

Cheng Ye shook his head. "Competition can be about who gives more, but it can also be about who gives something more irreplaceable. We can use our strengths to attack their weaknesses. Is a small place like Shuangyue Lake worth burning resources to compete with Dazhang?"

“We just need to show our advantages, and those who understand will naturally know how to choose. If they only care about the industrial facilities in Dazhang, then no matter what we say, it won’t make a difference. But if they care about these things, we can immediately regain the initiative.”

Towns was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, "What if I add another message?"

Cheng Ye said almost without hesitation, "Forget about Shuangyue Lake, go directly to Dazhang to cooperate and ask them to help purchase raw materials from the surrounding area. Then, let Shuangyue Lake know about the cooperation and spread the word that we want to support the settlement around Shuangyue Lake."

"Contact with the camphor tree..."

Towns paused for a moment, pondering to himself.

This was an angle he had never considered since taking on the problem, because subconsciously he regarded Dazhang as an enemy, thinking only of competition, and never considering that the two sides could still have contact and cooperation.

Following this angle, Towns, being no fool, suddenly realized the key point: "Continue!"

"For Dazhang, as long as there are no past grudges, contacting and cooperating with us will only bring benefits and no harm."

"But for Shuangyuehu, the cost of confrontation far outweighs the benefits of cooperation, which is something they cannot afford."

Cheng Ye said calmly, "Since Happiness City doesn't want to resort to force or spend money, the only advantage it can leverage is its massive size."

"Our strength lies in the fact that we can make any choice to bypass him, crush him, or replace him."

"But for Shuangyue Lake, there are many more things to consider."

　P.S.: Early update delivered, please vote!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)